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Rudd said she wanted to reassure bosses there will be no “cliff edge” when Britain leaves. And she insisted there was no contradiction between her soft words and Lewis’s tough talk.

She said: “When we leave the EU in March 2019, the current freedom of movement will obviously end. So what we’ll need is a new system.”

Rudd said the Home Office-sponsored Migration Advisory Committee would look at the role of EU nationals in our economy to help shape that new system.

She added: “We will need a grace period for a while before the full changes come in, which is what we’re consulting on with the MAC.

“They have been asked to give us the real evidence about the value of EU migration to the UK because we know it has been hugely valuable.

“We want to make sure the changes we put in place are evidence-based.”

Theresa May (Image: PA Wire)

She insisted Scotland’s needs would be taken into account as part of the review and said she would expect the Scottish Government to contribute.

SNP MSP Joan McAlpine said: “Amber Rudd is all over the place on immigration and her harsh rhetoric has already put off skilled migrants. The damage has been done. These comments are too little, too late.

“What we need is a shift in substance. That must include a commitment to single market membership, including freedom of movement, and Scotland receiving the powers over immigration we were promised during the Brexit referendum.”